Plating fixture



Dec. 20, 1955 F. J. KLEIN PLATING FIXTURE Filed April '7, 1952 IN VEN TOR. FQANK J- lQE/N ,4 7' TORNE Y5 United States Patent PLATlNG FIXTURE Frank I. Klein, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application April 7, 1952, Serial No. 281,020

3 Claims. (Cl. 204-297) This invention relates to a fixture for holding workpieces to be immersed in a plating bath.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a fixture into which semicircular bearings may easily be placed in contiguous alignment and so held while the fixture is bodily immersed in the plating bath.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fixture into which a plurality of semi-circular bearings may be placed and held in contiguous alignment for plating purposes, the fixture being so designed and constructed that the concaved surfaces of all of the bearings are completely and directly exposed to the electro-depositing forces while the opposite surfaces of the bearings are substantially shielded from direct exposure to said forces.

The fixture is so designed that clamping means under the influence of a spring securely holds the respective bearings in contiguous alignment in the fixture while it is immersed in the plating bath, said clamping means being automatically released to facilitate unloading and reloading of the fixture when it is placed upon a workbench for that purpose. Removal of the fixture from the work bench, after bearings have been placed in the fixture will again automatically render the clamping means effective.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the fixture embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the fixture.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the fixture taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the fixture showing bearings clamped in position therein.

Fig. 5 is a similar end view showing the bearing unclamped.

Referring to the drawings the fixture is shown comprising an elongated rectangular container having a bottom side 21, a top side 22 and two side walls 23 and 24. The container may be made up in any suitable manner. In the present drawings, however, the two side walls 23 and 24 are shown integral with the bottom wall 21 the top wall 22 being attached to the side walls by means of studs welded to the side walls 23 and 24 extending through openings in the top wall or cover 22 and provided with nuts 26 which secure the cover to the side walls. The cover 22 has an elongated aperture 27. In order that the container walls will not be subjected to electroplating when immersed in the plating bath, all surfaces thereof inside and out as well as the studs 25 and their nuts 26 are covered with a rubberlike material 28 which insulates the casing against plating deposits. As shown in Fig. l, the two sides 23 and 24, and the cover 27 terminate short of the end of the bottom surface 2,727,858 Patented Dec. 20, 1955 ice 21, of the container, providing an opening at this one end of the container for the insertion of work-pieces in the said container.

The end of the bottom wall surface 21 of the container adjacent this opening has a block 30 of any suitable metallic material attached thereto in any suitable manner preferably by insulated screws passing through the bottom wall 21 of the container and into said block thereby completely insulating the entire container from any current carrying part of the fixture. Similar blocks 31 shown dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in elevation in Fig. 3 are made of insulating material are attached to the cover 22 of the container near the end thereof opposite the opening through which the work-pieces are introduced into said container. Any suitable means may be used to attach said blocks 31 to said cover preferably a bolt passing through the cover and into said block 31 the bolt being coated with insulation as shown at 32. The two blocks 30 and 31 at opposite ends of the container support bars 35 and 36 in spaced relation and substantially parallel of the container, said bars being predeterminately spaced from the cover 22 in order that the semicircular work-pieces or bearings 40, placed upon said bars when introduced into the container through the opening at one end thereof, are free of the inside surface of the cover 22 as shown in Fig. 5. As each bearing is placed in the container the adjacent one is moved rearwardly until the container is loaded with a certain number of bearings all in contiguous alignment on said bars 35 and 36. Bar 36 is immovably secured between the supporting blocks 30 and 31 while bar 35 is rotatably supported by said blocks, the bars extending through block 30 to the outside thereof. The bar 30, as shown in Fig. 3 has a longitudinal portion 45 eccentric of the bar thereby providing a cam which is movable into engagement with all of the bearings 40 within the container by rotation of the bar 35, the eccentric portion of bar 35 urging all of the bearings into clamping engagement with the inner surface of the cover 22 and also into electrical contact with the bar 36 as shown in Fig. 4. It may be stated here that both bar 35 and bar 36 are not coated with insulating material in order to electrically engage the bearings in the container and act as conductors for the electroplating current.

The end of bar 35 extending outside the supporting block 30 has a lever 50 secured thereto, said lever having one end of a spring 51 attached to it, the other end of said spring being anchored to an extension of the bar 36 outside the block 30. The spring constantly exerts a tension upon the lever 50 tending to rotate the bar 35 so that its eccentric portion 45 moves toward clamping engagement with any bearings within the container. Thus, while the bearings are being placed Within the container the lever 50 may be operated to rotate the bar 35 clockwise as regards Fig. 3 in which instance the eccentric portion 45 of said bar is moved in a direction away from the inner surface of the cover and also from the stationary bar 36 in the container. This permits the bear ings 40 to be placed upon the bars 35 and 36 and successively be moved back into the container as the succeeding bearings are placed therein. When the contain has been loaded with the proper number of bearings the lever 50 is released permitting the spring 51 to rotate the lever 50 so that its attached bar 35 is likewise rotate and the eccentric portion 45 moved into engagemen Wlth the hearings in the container whereby said bearing are clamped against the cover 22 and the bar 36 and 8 3 held in contiguous alignment and in proper positions relatively to the elongated aperture 27 in the cover 22 which aperture is equi-distant from any portion of the inner concave surface of all of the bearings clamped in position within the container.

3 lFigs. 1, 4. and.5. illustrate one feature of the present invention which entails the arrangement of lever 50 relatively to the bottom wall 21 of the fixture. During loading the fixture 20 is usually placed on a work bench and :due to the arrangement of the lever 56, as shown in Figs.

1, 4 and 5, this lever projecting beyond the plane of the bottom surface 21 of the container will upon striking the "workbench be moved clockwise as regards these figures the lever 50 again to be moved by spring 53. into the clamping position as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, in which the supporting bar 35 and its eccentric portion 45 is rotated to engage and clamp all of the bearings within the con- .tainer in proper position against the top 22 and the bar 26 so as to be properly located and held relatively to the aperture 27 for plating purposes.

The block 30 may be termed the top end of the fixture. It has a conductor hook 61 secured thereto so as to be in electrical engagement with both bars 35 and 36 inside the container, the hook portion 69 being placeable upon the conductor of the plating machine so as to complete electrical connection between this conductor of the plating machine and the supporting bars 35 and 36 within'the container. The hook is of suflicient length so as to suspend the fixture to the plating machine with the fixture itself completely immersed in the plating fluid.

It may be seen that this fixture provides a container for holding and supporting a plurality of semicircular bearings in such a manner that the electroplating forces are directly aimed at the interior or concave surface of the bearings while the opposite, exterior surfaces of all of the bearings are shielded from direct contact by said electroplating forces. The fixture has provisions for spacing the entire interior and concave surfaces of the bearings' equi-distant from the aperture in said container through which the electroplating forces are directed toward said bearings and thus an even plating with uniform thickness is deposited upon the entire surface of all of the bearings within the container.

'The construction of the fixture facilitates loading and unloading 'of the fixture thereby contributing to commercial precision plating of semicircular bearings with minimum time requirements.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A fixture for holding a plurality of workpieces to be plated, said fixture consisting of an elongated container'into which the workpieces are insertable and hav- 3 ing'a fiat wall, said flat wall being provided with'an elongated opening, said container having two parallel conductor bars mounted therein longitudinally Thereof in fixed relative positions parallel to said wall of the container at least one of which includes means for connecting the bar to a source of plating current and upon which workpieces are placed in contiguous alignment, one or" said bars being rotatable on its own longitudinal and having radially eccentric means extending longitudinally thereof engageable with the workpieces on the bars upon rotation of said one bar in one direction to move the workpieces thereby against the other of said bars and thereby move the workpieces against the'said container wall and clamp the same in position against the container wall as retained by said other bar and the eccentric means on the said one bar, a spring operably con nected with said one bar yieldably urging the same rotatively in the said one direction to efiect the said movements of the workpieces supported on the said bars, and lever means connected to the said one baroppositely to the rotative effect of the spring upon thesaid one bar.

2. A device in accordance with claim lin which the said lever means extends transversely beyond the container to eifectengagement of said lever-with a surface upon which thecontainer is placedduring loading'with said lever efiecting rotation of said one bar thereby oppositely to the rotative'etfect of the spring upon the said one bar to place the said eccentric means of the. said one bar out ofengagement with workpieces loaded upon the said bars.

. 3. A fixture for holding work-pieces to be plated, said.

parallei to said opening supported between the ends-of ner, one of said bars being rotatable onits tudinal axis and having an eccentric extension between the ends of the container,-said bars supporting the work-pieces in contiguous alignment within the'container and parallel to 'saidopening, a lever attached to the rotatable bar outside the containen-a hooksecured in one end of the container and electrically connected with the other of said bars, and a spring-attached-to said lever, constantly urging thelever to rotate thefiattached bar for urging its eccentric extensionagainstthe respective work-pieces on the bars whereby said work-pieces are clamped against the side of the container having's'aid opening and in electrical contact with the bar connected Jiih the hook.

UNITED STATES PATENTS References Citedin the file of this patent 300,950 Cassel June24, 1884 384,806 White June 19,1888 1,725,877 Maag Aug. 27,1929 2,580,206 Schaefer Mar. 14,1950 

1. A FIXTURE FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY OF WOWKPIECES TO BE PLANTED, SAID FIXTURE CONSISTING OF AN ELONGATED CONTAINER INTO WHICH THE WORKPIECE ARE INSERTABLE AND HAVING A FLAT WALL, SAID CONTAINER HAVING TWO PARALLEL ELONGATED OPENING, SAID CONTAINER HAVING TWO PARALLEL CONDUCTOR BARS MOUNTED THEREIN LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN FIXED RELATIVE POSITIONS PARALLEL TO SAID WALL OF THE CONTAINER AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH INCLUDES MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE BAR TO A SOURCE OF PLATING CURRENT AND UPON WHICH WORKPIECES ARE BEING ROTATABLE ON ITS OWN LONGITUDINAL ONE OF SAID BARS BEING ROTATABLE ON ITS OWN LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND HAVING RADIALLY ECCENTRIC MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF ENGAGEABLE WITH THE WORKPIECES ON THE BARS UPON ROTATION OF SAID BAR IN ONE DIRECTION TO MOVE THE WORKPIECES THEREBY AGAINST THE OTHER OF SAID BARS AND THEEREBY MOVE THE WORKPIECE AGAINST THE SAID CONTAINER WALL AND CLAMP THE SAME IN POSITION AGAINST THE CONTAINER WALL AS RETAINED BY SAID OTHER BAR AND THE ECCENTRIC MEANS ON THE SAID ONE BAR, A SPRING OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID ONE BAR YIELDABLY URGING THE SAME ROTATIVELY IN THE SAID ONE DIRECTION TO EFFECT THE SAID MOVEMENTS OF THE WOEKPIECES SUPPORTED ON THE SAID BARS, AND LEVER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SAID ONE BAR OPPOSITELY TO THE ROTATIVE EFFECT OF THE SPRING UPON SAID ONE BAR. 